"Pine Trees and Snowballs" Geometric Coverlet, 1800-1880

Summary

A coverlet is a decorative bedcovering--usually made of cotton and wool--woven on a loom. Geometric designs like the stylized pine trees and snowballs seen on this coverlet were popular until the 1830s when the Jacquard loom's innovative technology made weaving "figured and fancy" coverlets easier and cheaper. The Jacquard loom was patented in France in 1804 and arrived in America in the mid-1820s.

A coverlet is a decorative bedcovering--usually made of cotton and wool--woven on a loom. Geometric designs like the stylized pine trees and snowballs seen on this coverlet were popular until the 1830s when the Jacquard loom's innovative technology made weaving "figured and fancy" coverlets easier and cheaper. The Jacquard loom was patented in France in 1804 and arrived in America in the mid-1820s.